The Embassy of the Republic of Ireland in Berlin

Amb. Nicholas O'Brien

Dr. Nicholas O'Brien took up duty in Berlin as Ireland’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany in August 2019. Prior to this he served as Director General for EU and International Affairs at the Finance Ministry in Dublin from 2014 to 2019. In this capacity, he was a member of the EU’s Economic and Financial Committee, which prepares meetings of EuroZone finance ministers. He worked closely on the Eurozone crisis and served as Ireland’s Director on the EU’s crisis mechanism funds - the European Stability Mechanism and the European Financial Stability Facility.

From 2011 to 2014, he was Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister for Finance.

He served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Berlin Embassy from 2008 to 2011 and as Consul General in Shanghai from 2004 to 2008. Prior to this, he was Africa Director at the Foreign Ministry from 2001 until 2004, during Ireland’s EU Presidency and term on the UN Security Council. From 1998 to 2001, he worked in DG External Relations of the European Commission.

Earlier in his career, he held several positions at the Finance Ministry including Private Secretary to the Minister of State.

He holds a Doctorate in Governance from Queen’s University Belfast and a Master’s in Public Management. His primary degree is in economics and public administration.

In a private capacity, he served on the Board of Governors of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, from 2013 to 2018.

His publications include Irish Investment in China: Setting New Patterns, Rozenburg Publishers, Amsterdam, 2011; Emerging Trends in Irish FDI into China, Administration, Vol. 58, no. 1, 2010 and; ASEM: Moving from an Economic to a Political Dialogue, Briefing Paper 01/02, European Institute for Asian Studies, 2001.

The first Irish Diplomatic Mission in Germany was established in Berlin in 1929 and was situated in the vicinity of the Tiergarten at No.3 Drakestraße. The building which housed the delegation was destroyed in an air-raid on 22 November 1943. The Embassy in Bonn opened in 1951 and then moved to Berlin in 2000.The Irish Embassy has been situated at 51 Jägerstraße since 2009 when it moved from its previous location on Friedrichstraße near the old Checkpoint Charlie. No 51 was built in 1789 and formerly belonged to the Mendelssohn family serving as their home and business premises.